William a



. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. A. MQGUIRE & M. G. HUBBARD, Jr.

GAR BRAKE;

'No. 557,013. Patented Mar. 24, 1896.

ANDREW EGRAHAM. PIlUTOLlTNO. WASNING'TONJIC 2 SheetsSheet; 2.

' (No Model.)

W. A. McGUIRE 8t M. G. HUBBARD,

v GAR BRAKE.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAH A. MCGUIRE AND MOSES G. HUBBARD, J R., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO THE MCGUIRE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME RAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,013, dated March 24, 1896.

Application filed J'nne 1'7, 1895.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. MOGU IRE and MOSES G. HUBBARD, J r., citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake-Hangers and Release-Springs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side View, a part of the devices being shown in elevation and another part in section; and Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modification.

Our invention relates to improvements in railway-car brakes, and has for its objects to provide an improved combined shoe back and hanger for the brake-shoe, to provide an improved elastic or yielding support for the hanger, to provide an improved arrangement and construction of parts whereby the brakeshoe is automatically quickly released and withdrawn from engagement with the rim of the wheel when the brake-applyin g power is removed, and to improve generally the construction and operation of brakes of the class employing link hangers from which brakeshoes are suspended. We accomplish these objects as hereinafter specified, and as illustrated in the drawings.

That which we regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent will be pointed out in the claims.

The maintaining in proper working condition at all times and under all conditions of use of brakes hung on pivoted swinging links has for many years been a serious problem with those having such matters in charge, and, notwithstanding that the cost of such maintenance has always been considerable, such form of brake has been retained in very general use, owing to many advantages possessed by the brakes of the type mentioned. lVe have designed a brake of this type which possesses many advantages over the styles heretofore employed, such advantages having been demonstrated very efiectually by the application of our improvements during the Serial No. 553,079. (No model.)

7 past year to several hundred railroad-cars in diiferent parts of this country.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, a in dicates a brake-shoe of any approved construction, which is pivotally connected at Z) to a backc. This back 0, as shown", is extended upward considerably beyond the brake-shoes upper end and lies against a seat d secured to or formed with the usual fram ing of the truck and is secured to such seat in the manner about to be described. This seat cl forming, as it does, practically a part of the truck-frame, the back or hanger may also be said to be secured to the frame. As will be seen by reference to the drawings, the upper end of the extended back (which, by reason of its-height and also by reason of its supporting the shoe, may be termed a hanger) is bent into a horizontal position and is provided at its extreme end with a rounded bearing portion 6, which fits into a correspondingly-shaped bearing portion in the seat d.

f indicates a bolt, which carries at its lower or head end a plate g, between which and the horizontal portion of the hanger a heavy coiled spring h is inserted. The bolt f passes up through the horizontal portion of the hanger and the seat and is secured in place by a nut '6 on its end, by the adjustment of which greater or less pressure of the spring against the horizontal portion of the hanger can be had, as desired. It will be noticed that the openings in the hanger and seat through which the bolt 1. passes are somewhat larger than the diameter of the bolt, which enlargement of such openings is for the purpose of permitting the hanger to move and turn on its enlarged bearing-portion e, the object of which we will explain hereinafter. For the purpose of providing an additional safety-support we have provided a bolt or pin which passes through the enlarged bearing-head e and into slotted holes in the wall of the seat d, on which bolt or pin the hanger is free to turn.

jindicates a spring-bar securely fastened at one end to the shoe back and having its opposite end engaged with the brake-shoe by means of a projection 7t formed on the hub portion of said shoe.

The lower end of the shoe back or hanger c is provided with a seat of a shape corresponding to the rear portion of the brakeshoe hub or pivotal portion that comes in contact with or engages the said seat in the hanger. Then the brake-shoe is out of action, the spring j will tend to keep it in substantially the position shown in the drawings. This spring also aids in preventing rattling of the parts.

Z indicates a brake-beam of usual form, which may be attached to the shoe-back in any ordinary manner.

As shown in Fig. 2, the construction can be modified in some particulars without departing from the spirit of our invention. In the modification that we have there shown the coiled spring h is located on the top of the seat (1 instead of below it, the nut 2' bearing on the upper end of the spring and the lower headed end of the bolt f being held by the spring against the under side of the horizontal portion of the hanger c. In this construction also the spring j is shown as bent and applied to the lower half of the shoe. Other slight differences in construction also appear; but the operation of the device as a whole is substantially the same as that set forth for the construction appearing in Fig. 1.

As before stated, by extending the shoebaek upward we make it also serve the purpose of a hanger, and by forming the upper end as shown and connecting and holding it to the truck-frame by a spring such spring acts as a release-spring and one that can be readily adjusted and that will take up any wear that may occur. Such construction also prevents the rattling and kicking of the brake, which are the great sources of wear in brakes of this type as now generally constructed.

It will be readily understood that, owing to the formation of the upper end of the brakeshoe back or hanger, when the brake-shoe is moved toward the ear-wheel with which it is designed to engage there will be exerted a bell-crank-lever action tending to compress the supportingsprin g, the eii'ect of which is to cause the brake-shoe to be immediately returned to its normal position when the brakesetting power is removed from the mechanism. It will alsobe evident that a considerable Variation in the force of this return action on the part of the spring 7:v can be effected by turning the nut t'.

The brake-shoe is to be connected to its back in any usual and approved manner, and could be rigidly attached thereto if a special right-and-left shoe were used; but it is much more desirable to have one shoe-pattern for all of the wheels of the truck, and so attach them to the shoe backs or hangers that they can yield at their lower end as they are pressed against the wheels, thereby enabling compensation to be had for the difference in travel between their upper and lower ends. To enable the shoes to be held up parallel with the periphery of the wheels the springj is provided and arranged as described.

That which we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-brake, the combination of a brakeshoe with a brake-shoe back having an upward extension elastically connected to the truck-frame, substantially as described.

2. In a car-brake, the combination of a brake-shoe back having one end extended to form a brake-hanger, a seat for said extended end formed on or attached to the truck-frame, and an elastic connection of said hanger and seat, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a swinging brakehanger having a rocking bearing upon one side of its seat, and an elastic connection constructed to hold said brake-hanger and seat together, substantially as described.

4:. The combination of a swinging brakehanger, a seat formed on or attached to the truck-frame, an elastic connection holding said hanger against said seat, and a bearing for said hanger on said seat located at one side of the elastic connection, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a brake-hangerhaving one end pivoted to the truck, an extension to one side of said pivot-bearing, and an elastic connection of said extension to the truck-frame, substantially as described.

6. In a car-brake, a swinging brake-hanger pivoted to the truck-frame at one end and to the brake-shoe or brake-beam at the other end, and having an elastic connection at each pivotal pointfor holding said pivot against its seat, substantially as described.

7. In a car-brake, an extended brake-shoe back pivotally connected to the brake-shoe at one end and to the truck-frame at its extended end, in combination with elastic connections for holding said pivotal connections against their seats,substantially as described.

8. In a car-brake, the combination with a swinging brake-hanger having one end pivoted to the truck and provided with an extension to one side of said pivot-bearing, of a release-spring arranged to act on thehanger through said extension and forming also an. elastic connection for holding the pivot to its seat, substantially as described.

9. In a car-brake, a brake-release spring having an upward pressure on the brakehanger both for releasing the brakes after action and holding said hanger against its seat, in combination with a swinging brakehanger, substantially as described.

10. In a car-brake, a brake-shoe back connected to the brake-shoe in such manner that beam mounted in said shoeback, substantially as described.

WILLIAM A. MCGUIRE. MOSES e. HUBBARD, JR.

Witnesses:

ALBERT H. ADAMS, HoLMEs A. TILDEN. 

